Improvement in mowing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

EIsK RUSSELL', 0E BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEIVIENT IN MOWINGMACHINES.

Speciticationforining :part of Letters Patent No. 142,559, dated March 20, 1855.

To all whom it 'may concern: r

Be it known that I, FIsK RUSSELL, of B oston, in the county of Suffolk and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Machine for Mowing Grass; and I do hereby declare that the saine is fully described and -rep 'resented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof.

1n said drawings, Figure 1 denotes a top view ot' my said machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, talienon that side on which the cuttcrwbar is situated. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the knife or cutter bar, and exhibits the arrangement of the knives and the. inanner inwhich'they are appliedto saidbar. Fig. 4 is al transverse section ofthe cutter-bar and one of its cutters, the same being made to exhibit a sectional view ot' one of' the guardtceth. Fig. 5 is a top view of one of theknives as'separated from the machine; Fig. 6 is an edge view of theY secondary supporting-wheel and its sustaining-lever, said gure exhibiting the manner in which such lever is applied to the main' fraine ot' the machine.

1n these drawingsA represents a carriage or inain rectangular frame supported on two Wheels, B G, the former being a driving as well as a supporting wheel-that is to say, its periphery is armed with a series of projections or -teeth, a (t, extended from it, as in the Wheels of other mowing-machines. This wheel carries on the inner surface ot' its riin an internal gear, b, into which a pinion, D, affixed to one end ot' a driving-shaft, E, is made to engage, the said pinion being denoted in Figs. 1 and 2 ot' the drawings by dotted lines. This driving-shaft extends across the frame, and is supported in boxes, camwheel,F. rlheaxisofthesecondarywheel, C, is not disposed in line with that of the primary wheel, B, but is arranged in front ot' it, i

and sothat the secondary wheel shall be disposed entirely oii one side ot' the driving or cani sha-it, it being understood that the two wheels are inade ofthe saine or about the saine diameter. The cani-wheel F is so formed as to impart a reciprocating vibratory movement to an inclined lever, G, which works on al'nlcruni at H. The said lever carries a bifurcatcd rock- .er-franie, I, that is made to turn in one end ot' it and embrace the serpentine edge ot' theoamwheel and support, two friction-rollers, d e,

as seen at c c c, and carries athe -h'ole t ot' the central plate.

placed on opposite sides of andl against the cam-Wheel. By means ot' the rocker-fratrie the cani-wheelis enabled to operate the lever to much better advantage and with less noise and friction than would be the case were the lever applied to the cam by a stationary fork or itscquivalent. Besidesthis,anotheradvantage results from the peculiar application or use of a rocker-frame, the shine being that it accommodates itself to the curves ot' the cani, and so as to prevent improper lateral strain on the lever. The lower end of the lever G extends into a mortise, x, iliade in along slide bar, K, which is supported so as to slide in the cutterbar L, that is fastened to and extends from a holdt'ast, M, and near to the lower part ot' the wheelC,as seenin the drawings. The particular arrangement of the cutter-bar and the wheel C in front ot' the drivinglsliai't and the driving-wheel, when said shaft and driving-wheel are arranged and connected by a pinion and an .internal gear, as liereinbet'ore described, serve to lessen the side drai't or lateral Vpressure on the horses or draft-animals in compari. son 'to what said draft would be were the secondary wheel and the cutter-frame disposed back ofthe drivingfshaft whenarranged with respect tothe driving-wheel, as specified. The said cutter-bar L has projected from ita series ot' guard or hooked teeth, as N N'N, between each two of whicha movable oscillating tooth, O, is made to play, the said tooth turning horizontally upon a center-piii or fnlcruni. In the construction of these teeth they are formed triangular, or approximating thereto, in shape, and two ot' them are iii-.idc to extend in oppositeA directions from one coni-.non center plate or bar, g, as seen in the drawings. Each of these teeth has a round hole, It, formed thron gh it, each hole being at an equal distance from The lever-teeth so formed are arranged on the cutter-bar, as seen in the drawings, their central holes being supported on stationary tulcra or pins f-ff,

while the back or rearinostholes are made respectively to receive pins la ls lr, extending upf ward from the slide-bar1(. -When the teeth are so arranged they may be covered by acapplate, l?, made to extend partially over them, as seen in the drawings. By the reciprocating longitudinal nioveinentot" the slide-bar each ot' the cutting-teeth directly between each two ot' the guard-teeth will have imparted to t'an oscillating movement, such as will not only canse it to cut with a guard-tooth, like acommou'pair of scissors, but with a slight drawing stroke, such as will impart to it a great advantage in severing gra-ss.. Should any one of the teeth become dulled or injured, it may be removed from its fulcrum and turned around- T which is made to enbrace the wheel as seen i 7 in the drawings, and to turn at the lower end upon fulcra 7' r. Bymeans ot this lever, when a person is sitting upon the driversseat V, the cutter frame or bar' may beelevated or depressed, so as to raise it above the ground to such an extentA as may be necessary either to clear a stone or other obstruction uponlthe surface 'of the ground or to cut the grass or stubble to such height as may bev necessary. In order` to accomplish this, he has only to take hold of the upper part of the lever with his right and turn said lever forward, so as to pressy the Wheel C toward theground, and thereby raise the frame of the machine and the cutters with respect thereto.

To the outer end of the cutter-bur I aix' a raking-board, Q, and l construct such rakingboard in the following manner, the object of it being to move the cut grass. away from the standing grass. Such board is madein two in dependent parts, lm, each of which is affixed to the raking or cutting bar, the back board being applied thereto by a spring, n, which all e lows it to play up and down and slide on the front board while the latter is stationary. As such raking-boards have heretofore been constructed undersuch an application, the horizontal and upright parts have been connected together and so hinged to the cutter-bar as to cause both to rise'simultaneously when passing an obstruction. board the upper portion or frontpart remains stationary while the other portion is movable, such a method of constructing a raking-board causingit to operate to much better advantagev than when made in the other way, as above set forth;

What I claim is- 1. Arran ging the secondary supportingwheel and the cutter-frame in front of the driving-sliat't,when such driving-shaft and the drivingwheel are arranged and connected b vgears, as specied, the same serving to lessen the side Ud raft or pressure on the horses or draft-animals in comparison to what it would be were the secondary wheeland the cutter-frame disposed back ot' the drivingshaft when arranged with respect to the driving-wheel, as specified.

2. The combination of two knives, so that they shall project iu opposite directions from one center plate or bar, in order that either ot the knives may he used in connection with the guard-teeth, and either be made to serve as a lever to the other whenever circumstances may require.

ln testimony whereof I have hereto set my signature this 5th day of February, A. D. 1855.

I FISK RUSSELL. Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. P. HALE, Jr.

In my improved raking-A 

